The present disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus that conducts color correction on image data.
Devices capable of color printing are common among image forming apparatuses such as copying machines and multi-function peripherals (MFPs). This type of image forming apparatus implements color printing by combining printing by recording agents such as toner, ink or the like of the four colors of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K), for example.
Many of such image forming apparatuses have a function that performs color correction on the image data. The reason for this is because, although faithfully reproducing the hue of the original document is demanded in image forming apparatuses, images that include pictures and the like are being printed in recent years, and thus there has come to be demand for the conversion of the hue to a color preferred by people. Converting the hue to a color preferred by people more specifically means to reproduce a so-called memory color. For example, memory color refers to a color such as the skin of a person, the blue of the sky, the green of vegetation, and the red of sunset, and is a color for which reproduction of the color, which is closer to that remembered by humans, is preferred over performing faithful reproduction of the color in the original document.
For such memory colors, there are individual differences in the preferred colors. For this reason, various techniques for adequately providing preferred colors in image forming apparatuses have been proposed.
For example, an image processing apparatus has been known that allows for a user to select their preferred color correction and that reflects the color correction in image processing, by printing color adjusted images consisting of a plurality of thumbnail images between which the color shade is varied slightly and allowing the user to input a number specifying a thumbnail image selected from among the printed color adjusted images.
In addition, a technology has been known that allows a user to select a color correction condition by displaying on the same screen a plurality of images generated by executing different color corrections on the same image, and allowing the user to select from these images.
With the aforementioned technology, so long as the preferred color correction is included among the suggested color correction candidates, the user will be able to easily select this color correction. However, in the case of the preferred color correct not being included among the suggested color correction candidates, complicated operation and the like will be necessary in order to obtain the preferred color correction, and the user will not be able to easily set the desired color correction.